Dimensional Heroes Legends: The Curious Village
by jexi the hunter
Summary: We join our heroes and our new friends as they tackle the mystery of St. Mystere, but what lies within this village?
1. Prologue

We begin our story with the heroes slowly approaching the world where the Professor and Luke are usually on.

"This is so awesome. I can't believe we're actually going to another world." Sci-Twi said.

"Well, get used to it. You'll be here a lot." Hope said.

"So, we're going to a town to solve an inheritance dispute?" Sour Sweet asked. "Not much of a problem."

"The professor wouldn't take something like this if it weren't interesting. Maybe I should start at the beginning." Jexi said.

"A few months ago, the proprietor of this town, Baron Augustus Reinhold, passed away. After he died, his will was disclosed. Within the contents was the description for a treasure called the Golden Apple. It's said if anyone were to find it, they would inherit the whole of his estate. After this was said, everyone scattered and began looking for it. However, they came back shortly empty handed." Jexi said.

"I've heard something about an apple before. The Apple of Eden used to be a coveted item of power for many civilizations. Assassins and Templars looked all over the country for it, even modern ones used the Animus system to go back and find it." Hope said.

"Well, it's not anything like that. Actually, no one in the village had even heard of it before its mention in the will. Apparently, the late baron decided to make one last puzzle before he died." Jexi said.

"And the one who solved it gets the apple. Huh, not a bad ploy." Lemon Zest said.

"Yeah. We were asked here by the late baron's wife, Dahlia Reinhold. She apparently saw an article about us after the Azran incident." Robin said.

"So she wants us to meet with her as soon as we get into the village." Gray said.

"Uh, Gray? Not so loud. You dont want Juvia to get the wrong idea." Hope said.

"Please, how can she get the wrong idea? She's probably a lot older than me, and her husband just passed away." Gray said.

"That's the point. Say the wrong things about Dalhia, and Juvia will blast her with water." Lucy said.

"Fine. I'll just keep it to myself." Gray said.

"Well, we're getting pretty close to the village." Jexi said. "We'll park outside the walls of it since there isn't any good space within it."

As they landed, Hope had a thought. "Sanji, did you get any updates on who Kitchen Cutlass is sending next?"

"Yeah. Says their chef is already in the village working a restaurant there, waiting for me to show up." Sanji said. "Apparently, he's supposed to be pretty good. His name is...Magmar. "

Inside the restaurant, the pokemon in the restaurant was cooking with fire.

"You may have beaten Golduck, but things are about to heat up, black leg. Let's see if you can handle the most spicy soup there ever was." he said. "Order up!" he said passing the bowl to a customer, who moaned after tasting it.

Outside the village as the heroes just got out, they saw a small red car approach. Out of it came the Professor and Luke.

"Well, so nice to see all of you once again." Layton said.

"Same here. I've got some new people we would like you to meet." Hope said.

"Yes. CHS students and Crystal Prep students." Layton said.

"Okay, so you already know the CHS girls and Crystal Prep girls?" Hope asked.

"Yes. Jexi sent me a quick letter through express. We also keep in touch now and then." Layton said.

"Alright, here they are. Meet CHS Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and last but not least, Sunset Shimmer."

"Ah yes. I've heard quite a bit about all of you. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." Layton said with a warm smile.

"Same here, I heard a lot about you and the Azran cases. Belive it or not, I actually studied them back in Equestria. The Golden Garden, the lost city of Ambrosia, even the Naucculus Chamber in Monte d'Or." Sunset said.

"Well, nice to meet someone as learned as myself then." Layton said.

"Same here, I officially joined the team after a week ago. We also joined up with these six." Sunset said pointing to the Shadowbolts.

"Ah, so these are Crystal Prep's finest." he said approaching them. "Nice to have you joining us as well."

"It's truly an honor, Professor. My names Twilight, and this is Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sugarcoat." Sci-Twi introduced.

"Charmed." Layton said.

"Professor! You didn't forget about me did you?" Luke asked as he got out of the car.

"Oh, my apologies. Girls, meet Luke Triton." Layton said.

"That's right. I'm the professor's apprentice!" Luke said proudly.

"How cute and noble!" Sour Sweet said sweetly. " Bet this kids just gonna get in the way."

"Hey! I may be young, but I'm just as smart as the professor!" Luke corrected her.

"She does that a lot. Better to ignore her then bounce back." Sugarcoat said.

"Right than. I suppose we should begin by getting into the village." Layton said pointing to a large drawbridge in between the walls of the city with a lone man in the small station next to it.

"So this drawbridge is the only way in and out?" Naruto asked.

"Looks like it." Natsu said.

"Halt! Who goes there? We don't take kindly to outsiders!" he shouted. "My name is Franco! I run this bridge and I say no outsiders allowed!"

"Is there any possible puzzle we could solve to get in? Lady Dahlia asked for us." Applejack said.

"Lady Dahlia? Well, we could work something out. The motors out so I gotta use a crank. Only problem is I can't remember which of these cranks fit into it." he said holding out three cranks.

"Let's get to work." Jexi said.

Puzzle No. 2: The Crank and Slot

There's no way to lower the bridge and get across without inserting the crank in the right slot!

Choose the slot that fits the crank shown below.

Volt and Starlight came up onto the platform and looked at the cranks.

"Hmm. It's not the one on the right. Its spiky part doesn't fit into the slot." Starlight said.

Volt then pointed to the one on the left. Franco then took the crank and saw it fit perfectly. He then began turning it, lowering the drawbridge for the heroes. "Here ya go! I still feel nervous doing this for outsiders though." Franco said.

"Trust us, Dalhia would want to see us." Layton said. "So you two are the silent color fighter and the replacement for Princess Twilight's spot while she is busy?"

"Yeah. She wanted me to go on this mission to see how things work." Starlight said.

As soon as they got in, the looked up to the sky to see the large misshapen tower in the center of the village.

"New mystery, here we come." Hope said. 


	2. Spicy Soup and Reinhold Manor

The heroes walked along the path, Carrying Sanji's mobile cooking station.

"Man, this thing is heavy." GutsMan said.

"What are you complaining for? You're strong. You can handle it.' Sanji said.

"No biggie. I can see the restaurant up ahead." Guts man said as they saw the restaurant.

"Volcano Soup is ready to be served!" Magmar shouted as the customers inside cheered. Magmar then saw Sanji.

"Hello there, Black Leg. You ready to get to this challenge?"

"More than ever, fire face." Sanji said.

"Well, you better bring your A game, cause I'm about to barbeque it." Magmar grinned. "For today's challenge, we are making a soup dish. But one catch, your soup has to be hot enough to re-energize a person." Magmar said.

"Energy, huh? Time to put Iva's attack cooking recipes to use." Sanji said getting out his cooking station. "Hold it. We need a judge first. Anyone here feeling punked out?" he asked looking around.

"Uh, that would be me." said a man coming from the crowd. "My names Deke and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep in a fortnight. I need this."

"Well, there we go. So, get your station ready and we can get to work." Magmar said.

It didn't take long for both to get their stations ready. It then began as quickly as it started. Magmar peaked over at Sanji as he made a few noodles.

"Looks like he's making a ramen like dish. Well, he better hope it works." Magmar said as he grabbed several spices and tossing them into the soup. When he was done, it was on fire with red broth. "Volcano Soup, my speciality." Magmar grinned.

Deke stuck his soup in and saw it melted. "You know, maybe I'll just skip the fo-" he said before Magmar began force feeding him the soup. Deke cried out in pain as he ran about. "Water! I need water!" he shouted.

"Looks like he didnt like it. Too much spice can really spoil the appetite." Sugarcoat said.

"I feel more sorry for the guy who had to eat it." Rainbow said watching the guy run about.

"So Sanji, is your dish really Ramen?"Naruto asked him.

"Yeah. But it's not just ordinary ramen." Sanji said putting a bowl down of brown broth and vegetable pieces and few meat noodles. "Sanji Special Rich Ramen." Sanji said.

Deke hesitantly used the chopsticks to grab the noodles before tasting them. His eyes open wide. "Oh. It's like angels!" he said slurping them down. "It's like I've been touched by an angel's kind hand!" he declared.

"The broth is a base to bring out the flavor of the meats. It's actually made from a few vegetables to make it more energizing." Sanji said.

"You win! You win!" Deke said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Huh. Guess hotter isn't always better. Well, you bested me." Magmar said extending his hand.

"For the upgrade, I'm thinking some exotic spices could make up for the loss. I want a place to make them." Sanji said.

"Of course. I'll have it processed immediately." Magmar said.

Sanji got a high five from Hope. "Two down, eight to go. Then we go for their guild master."

"Our Master Head Chef, she's getting more and more anxious to face you herself in battle." Magmar said. "Her name's Olivia. Unlike most guilds, she's a human. Word has it, she's a chef among chefs. She's like the cooking goddess or something."

"Oh, great. It's gonna be hard beating a girl, especially for a ladies man." Jexi said.

"In cooking, there is no gender. It'll hurt for a while, but I'll still face her eventually." Sanji said as tears rolled down his face.

"Next chef you gotta face is our fish course master, but you'll have to wait a while for him. He's on a fishing trip right now." Magmar said.

"That's fine. We need to see Dahlia anyway. Would you know where Reinhold Manor is?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. Go to the right, you'll see a servant in a suit near a wooden boat." Magmar said before leaving.

The heroes soon arrived at a river where they saw a man near a wooden boat. "Hello there, my name is Ramon, escort for the Reinhold family and the one in charge of letting people onto the property. How can I help you?" Ramon asked the group.

"Dahlia sent us. We wish to travel to the manor." Layton said.

"Ah. So you must be Professor Layton, or...are you an impostor? Can't be too careful these days." Ramon said looking them over.

"I am the real thing. This town is famous for it's puzzles, and to prove we are real, do you have one?" Layton asked.

"Of course. This one is pretty fun." Ramon said.

Puzzle No. 007: Wolves and Chicks

Get the three wolves and three chicks seen below to the other side of the river while obeying the following conditions.

-No more than two animals can ride the raft at the same time.

-There must be at least one animal on the raft in order for it to move.

-If more wolves than chicks stay on either side of the river, the wolves will eat the chicks, and you'll have to start over.

You can move the raft as many times as you like, but this feat can be accomplished in as few as 11 moves.

Fluttershy stepped up for this one.

"If there is one thing I know, It's how animals behave. Let's see, I take over the two wolves first, then take a wolf back. Grab a wolf than a chick, take a wolf back. Take the two chicks, take back a wolf, move two wolves, take one back then move the last two wolves over to join their friends." Fluttershy said.

"Wow. Didn't think you'd get that so easily." Ramon said in surprise.

"That's Fluttershy for ya. Now, let us across." Rainbow Dash said.

"Fine. Get in the boat and I'll escort you." Ramon said.

He then rowed the heroes across where they came up to the large building.

"And they call this a manor?" Sunny said.

"Hey, be nice. Someone just died here." Happy said as they headed inside. Inside was a short man in a suit.

"Welcome. My name is Matthew, loyal butler to the Reinhold family." he said pointing to two pictures. One was a large man in a suit with a mustache and beard and the other was a young girl in a red dress.

"So, this old guy was the Baron who owned the place?" Luffy asked looking at the man's portrait.

"Yes. You have the honor of looking at the last image of the late Baron Augustus Reinhold. May he rest in peace." Matthew said.

Guts man then stopped. "Hey, you sense something, Mega?" he said.

"This guy...he kind of reminds me of Dr. Light." Mega Man said. "Who's the girl in the picture?"

"That is the late baron's daughter, Flora. Unfortunately, no one has seen her in the village for a while." Matthew said.

Suddenly, a robot dropped from above. "Avast, mega, time to meet yer maker at the hand of...Pirate Man!" he declared.

"One of shade man's cronies. I know cause I can't copy your weapon." Mega Man said.

"Indeed. He insured us protection from your weapon thievery." Pirate Man said.

"Time for a different approach, then." Sunny said taking out a sphere.

"Wh-what? Why lass, that'd be.."

"Yeah. Its Cross Armor. Thank your maker for it." Sunny said putting it on as armor overtook her. She now was covered in red armor with torches over her hands and a torch on her head.

"Fire Armor Active." Sunny said.

"Cool! So Cross armor allows the wearer to tap into the abilities of other robot masters!" Luffy said

"Yeah. Boss had it in developement for a while. He's only managed to make a few of them for now." Gutsman said.

"Lemon Zest got Elec, Indigo has Guts, Sugarcoat's got Shadow Armor, Twilight's got Number Armor and Sour Sweet's got Gemini Armor." Sunny said. "But, let's see what this thing can do." Sunny said as flames began to form on the hand torches. "Fire Blaster!"

Fire then came out from the torch, enveloping Pirate Man.

"Ye have to do better than that. Remote Mine!" Pirate Man shouted firing a mine at Sunny.

"Careful! Those things are controlled!" Tails shouted.

"Little late with that, fox boy." Pirate Man said pushing the detonator.

"Yeah. Besides, I can take it." Sunny said as it went off, but Sunny was undamaged.

"What sorcery is this?" Pirate Man said

"Yeah. A perk of my armor. It protects me from any sort of explosion." Sunny said.

"I just figured out how to counter the firewall for mega man's copy data. Sunny, use this EMP ammo to fry the Firewall!" Sci-Twi said.

"Afraid ya won't get the chance." Pirate Man said pressing a button on himself. "Self destruct just got activated. Long Live Nebula!" he shouted.

"Oh no ya dont! Triple Current!" Lemon Zest shouted armor ignited. She fried Pirate mans Circuts and shut him down. He fell over, completely lifeless.

Tails then inserted a flash drive with the counter-virus. "There. Now you can copy Pirate Man's data."

"Remote Mine acquired." Mega Man said.

"My, how nerve racking. I'll have this piece of trash removed at once." Matthew said.

"Man, being a hero is awesome." Lemon Zest said. "And this armor is pretty sweet too."

The heroes then showed themselves up the stairs where they saw a large man and a thin one with glasses.

"Who are these guys? Relatives?" Weiss whispered.

"Yeah. The guy on the left is Gordon Reinhold, the barons brother and to the right is his son, Simon Reinhold." Jexi said as they heard footsteps. From the next room came a woman in a long dress petting a cat in her arms. "Ah. You must be Professor Layton and the Dimensional Heroes I presume. Its an honor to make your acquaintance." she said.

"No please. The pleasures all ours." Layton said.

But just as he was about to shake her hand, a large shake was felt as the cat in the womans arms jumped out and ran out the door. 


	3. Feline Fugitive and Night Falls

The cat jumped from building to building, Sugarcoat following it on the roofs as the heroes followed from the ground.

"I can't believe she's making us chase after some cat." Rarity said.

"Well, you heard her. She won't talk until she gets her 'precious Claudia' back." Hope said.

On close inspection of Sugarcoat's armor, it closely resembled that of shadow man, hence the name. "Come on, you mangy feline." Sugarcoat said as the cat jumped down between two buildings, landing on its feet as it ran down an alley.

The heroes didnt get far before seeing another Robot Master of Nebula. He had drills covering all over his body.

"I am DrillMan! And you guys aren't gonna get in my…" he said before the cat started scratching his face up. "Ah! Get this stupid thing off of me!" he shouted.

The cat quickly jumped off before running away from both groups.

"No way is come cat getting off easy! Drill Bomb!" he shouted firing a drill at the cat. It then jumped up and landed on the bomb, moving it towards Drill Man before jumping off and running away.

"Oh, shi-" the bomb exploded taking Drill Man with it.

"Wow. That is one smart feline." Natsu said.

"Firewall eliminated. Drill Bomb acquired." Megaman said.

The two quickly followed the cat to a building where it was cornered.

"I'll try and calm it down." Luke said slowly approaching it.

"Here kitty." Luke said before the cat scratched up his face and ran off.

"Goodness." Fluttershy said.

"She seems a little more feistier than I thought." Luke said.

"No!" shouted a voice as they saw Franco running across the village. "Its terrible! Unspeakable!"

"What? What happened?" Layton asked.

"Well, it happened during my break. Someone came and raised the drawbridge and stole the only crank that can lower it." Franco said.

"So, what you're saying is…" Kirito began.

"Until it's found, no one is getting in or out of the village." Franco said.

"So we're stuck here?" Nami said.

"We can worry about the crank later. Let's just get the cat and get back to the manor." Hope said.

"Well, we could bring her to us using some fish." Happy said.

"That's...actually not a bad idea." Jexi said.

Placing some fish on the ground, the heroes saw the cat carefully approaching it before eating it. Fluttershy then came out and slowly approached it.

"Please, dont be scared. That explosion really was something only you could hear." Fluttershy said as the cat meowed happily as it leapt into her arms.

"Okay, we got the cat. Let's head on back." Hope said.

Once they arrived, they saw a panicked Matthew. "Oh, thank goodness you all have returned!" he said.

"Yeah. And we got the cat." Sunset said.

"Oh yes, Claudia. But this isn't about that. We need to go upstairs. Something terrible has happened." Matthew said.

The heroes hurried up the stairs to see a new yet familiar face.

"Good day. My name is Inspector Chelmey, sent from Scotland Yard itself." Chelmey said.

"Chelmey! Nice to see you again!" Tails said.

"Yes nice to see you too….Tails! Your name is Tails." he said. "Forgive me. Been having some memory troubles as of late due to work stress." Chelmey said.

"He's never forgotten my name that easily. I'll have to keep an eye on him." Tails thought.

"So, why are you here now?" Jexi asked.

"I'm gonna go straight to the point: there's been a murder in this house." Chelmey said.

Everyone gasped. "One of the Reinholds relatives, Simon Reinhold, was done in by a blunt object." Chelmey explained.

Indigo then came down from upstairs. "I think I know what it was…"

TAKE THAT!

"This!" Indigo said holding some broken vase shards. "But I didn't see the body or any blood."

"I've taken the body in order to fully examine it." Chelmey said. "As for those shards, I'll take those and put them back together as soon as possible so I can check for prints." Chelmey added taking the shards.

"Indigo, was there any reason why you shouted 'TAKE THAT' ?" Twilight asked.

"It just seemed like a fun thing to say. I also remember hearing this attorney on TV shouting that." Indigo said.

"You must be talking about Phoenix Wright. He's never lost a case defending someone." Sunset said.

"He's also known for pointing his finger directly, sort of like what you do, Professor." Dan said.

"Well, hopefully we cross paths someday. Now, did you find anything else up there?" Layton asked Indigo.

"Well, all I found was this." Indigo said pulling out a small cog with a inscription of a hammer and wrench on it.

"Strange. I don't recognize this model." Tails said looking at it. "It's homemade."

Mathew then came up to them. "Beg pardon, but have any of you seen Ramon?" Matthew asked. "No one's seen him for the last few hours."

"No. Now that you mention it, we didn't see him when we crossed the river." Usopp said.

"Uh, you dont think he's been…" Applejack began.

"He could also be the one whodunnit." Chelmey said.

"Look! Someone's running off with a big bag!" Luffy shouted as the heroes rushed over only to see nothing. "What are you talking about? There's no one out there." Hope said.

"But I saw him. He looked like a gray Santa." Luffy said.

"Let's focus on finding Ramon for now." Jexi said.

As the heroes talked, Fluttershy was in Dahlia's room putting the cat on the bed. "There you go." she said petting it. She then noticed a small picture of the Reinhold family with Dahlia holding baby Flora. "Aw." she said.

"Miss Fluttershy, can I help you with something?" Matthew asked arriving.

"Yes. This painting looks weird. The people except Flora and Dahlia all seem…. mechanical in facial features." Fluttershy said.

"Sorry to disappoint, but the woman holding Miss Flora is not Lady Dahlia, but the Baron's previous wife, Lady Violet." Matthew corrected her.

"Still, this painting could be used for something later to prove." Fluttershy thought

Painting features added to suitcase.

After that, Fluttershy rejoined the group as they headed back into the village to look for Ramon. They asked around the village for a while, looking for Ramon only to come up empty handed, except for Luffy who was talking to a kid. "What do you know about Gray Santa?"

"Oh! You blokes just described the Night Thief!" the kid shouted. "He goes around, stealing people off the streets who seem… odd. But when you see the person the next day, they seem perfectly fine with no memory of ever being kidnapped."

"I see. So this guy only makes his rounds at night huh? Guess we could have a stakeout and wait him out." Natsu said.

Later in the night, the heroes waited in the darkness, looking out for the night thief. It was then they saw a guy walking about the streets with a large bag.

"Look! It's Gray Santa!" Luffy said in excitement.

"Well, he does sort of fit the description." Hope said.

The thief then tripped, accidentally opening the bag, revealing an unconscious Ramon inside. He scooped him back up and dashed off.

"We can't let him get away! After him!" Jexi said.

The old man saw them chasing after him and the hightailed it down the streets. He soon was out of reach, but then something was found at his last location.

"It's another one of those gears." Indigo said.

"Strange. What was he doing with Ramon?" Sci-Twi asked before they all saw the lights in the tower light up one after the other.

"Guess we know where we're headed next." Jexi said.

"But first, we better tell Dahlia what happened to Ramon." Hope said. 


	4. The Amusement Park and Culprit

"The tower in the middle of the village? You chaps do not wanna go in there." a villager told them. "Besides, there's no way to actually get to the tower anyway."

"What? Are you sure?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah. Where there should be a path is actually blocked by buildings through and through. No way to get to the tower." the villager said.

"But you still can see the abandoned amusement park nearby, but that tower is inaccessible." another said.

"We'll just see about that." Natsu said.

Later in the north part of town, he and Luffy were pushing against some buildings, having no effort moving the buildings.

"Well, the villagers were right. We have no luck getting to the tower." Sci-Twi said before they heard a noise. Behind them, they saw a young girl in a bandana as well as some glasses. "Oh. Sorry. Don't mind me." she said moving away from them.

"Well that was weird." Usopp said.

"Was she spying on us?" Yang asked.

"Excuse me!" shouted a voice as a large man approached them. "I'm here with a delivery to Professor Layton, sent by an anonymous sender." he said giving the professor a blue vase.

"Hmm. Strange. I don't remember telling anyone I was even coming here." Layton said handing the vase back as the guy ran off.

"Well, let's give the amusement park a try." Jexi said.

They soon arrived to the amusement park where they saw a poster of it with Flora holding a balloon.

"I can't believe the guy would build an amusement park just for his daughter." Hope said.

"The guy owned the whole village. He could do anything he wanted with it." Zoro said.

The began looking around the park before seeing a small shack out in the middle of the lake. They walked up to it and tried to get it open. "Its locked. Sorry." Franky said.

"Well, guess we could try and find the key." Hope said as they walked back to the entrance. But as they did, they heard a loud groaning and looked to the ferris wheel.

"Deja Vu, anyone?" Sonic said as the supports on the wheel broke as it began to roll right towards them. "Run!" Jexi shouted as they ran from it. They dodged as it crashed into a nearby building. It then rolled right over it and began heading back for them.

"Is it actually chasing after us?" Rainbow asked.

"That's preposterous." Layton said as they turned a corner with the wheel doing the same. They soon saw they were heading to the shack in the middle of the lake. "On the count of three, move to the sides. It'll crash right into the lake." Layton said.

The group quickly jumped out of the way it rolled right past them, taking out the shack before sinking into the lake. The heroes breathed easy as it sank.

In the shadows, a sinister figure saw all this. "Blast." he said before taking his controller and walking off into the forest.

The heroes then inspected the wreckage, finding a key shaped exactly like the tower.

"Strange. I think someone knew about the key and tried to take it for themselves and tried to kill us. But, now we have something that can help us get to the tower." Sugarcoat said.

As the heroes were leaving the amusement part, they saw Ramon approaching them.

"Oh, your back. Glad to see it." Luffy said.

"What? Nevermind. You need to head to Reinhold Manor immediately! Inspector Chelmey has identified the killer!" Ramon said.

"That so? I got something to tell him too." Tails said.

The group quickly reconvened back at Reinhold Manor.

"Ah, so glad you all could make it here. Now, I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'll come out with it. I'm onto you, Layton. I know you killed Simon." Chelmey said.

"What? But Professor would never do that!" Luke said.

"I always knew he was on the wrong side, now you two are coming with me." Chelmey said.

OBJECTION!

"How exactly do you know the Professor did it?" Sunset said.

"Well, I just happened to put the murder weapon back together. His fingerprints were all over it." Chelmey said showing a familiar blue vase.

HOLD IT!

"That's the same vase from the the market." Sanji said.

"Yeah. It's the evidence to put you away, Layton. And the heroes are under arrest too for being your accomplices." Chelmey said smashing the vase against a wall.

OBJECTION!

This came from Tails this time.

"Okay, what is up with people saying Mr. Wrights catchphrases?" Applejack asked.

"It just seemed appropriate." Tails said. "You know, you've been pretty suspicious since arriving here."

"Nonsense! This has nothing to do with me!" Chelmey said. "Now I'll be taking that key."

"Actually...Inspector. I'll hold onto it and it has quite a bit to do with you. For you see, if there is any sort of criminal element here…" Layton began as he pointed his finger at Chelmey. "Then it is you sir!"

"What utter rubbish! You're gonna need more than some daft charge to save your hide." Chelmey said.

"Want proof? Here's your proof!" Tails said.

TAKE THAT!

Tails then showed him a newspaper. "I found this last night during our crawl. It's about you catching a crook as well as you liking your wife's Sweet Potato Fritters. You do love Amy's fritters, right?" Tails asked.

"Of course. I'm always fond of Amy's fritters." Chelmey said.

"GOT YA! Her name is Amelia! I doubt you would forget your wife's own name. And do you remember when we first met at the ice cream shop?" Tails asked smiling.

"Uh, well.." Chelmey said stammering.

"I've always wanted to do this." Indigo said. "Inspector Chelmey, the one who actually killed Simon Reinhold…was you!" she shouted as Chelmey flinched.

"And to add more evidence, the crank recently went missing so no one could get in." Robin said as Chelmey stepped back.

"Admit it Chelmey…" Hope said jabbing his finger and pointing at Chelmey. "... you are not real, but an Impostor!"

Chelmey then began to laugh evilly. "You got that right. I despise you heroes, but you are the worst, Layton. That's why you are my archenemy." Chelmey said as he grabbed his face, pulling it off, revealing it to be a mask. Before them stood a man in purple and red with a pointed mustache and hair styled like devil horns.

"I've always despised that about you so called heroes." he said. "I thought I would be able to crush you once and for all here in St. Mystere, but it appears I was wrong."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Hope asked.

"Ah. That's the big question. I originally came for the old fools inheritance and to crush Layton. But you all have ruined that plan. But I shall escape for I am...the great Don Paolo!" he declared as he crashed out the window.

"How does he even know us?" Hope said.

"I know Don Paolo's reputation as an evil scientist, but that will have to wait." Layton said.

"Hey, we actually sound good with Mr. Wright's catchphrases." Indigo said. "You think when we meet him, we'll do em?"

"Let's save that if when he does come to London." Sunny said. "Right now, we need to get to that tower." 


	5. The Tower's Secret

The heroes soon arrived to there the wall was. They searched it until they found a small keyhole. Putting the key inside it and turning it, the building opened up, revealing a path right to the tower.

As soon as they got close to it though, a door opened up below them and fell right through. In the room they fell in, they saw several parts and tools as well as pictures of the citizens and keys next to them.

"What on earth is all of this?" Aelita asked looking around.

"It's machinery." Said a familiar voice.

They soon saw the same old man from the previous night.

"It's Gray Santa!" Luffy shouted.

"That's not my name! Its Bruno! Now give me back Number 38 right now!" he shouted.

"Number 38? We have no idea what you're talking about. We just wanted to find the Golden Apple." Starlight said.

"The Golden Apple? That's why you all are here?" Bruno asked them.

HOLD IT!

"Um, Mr. Bruno?" Fluttershy said. "Sorry if I surprised everyone, but something's been on my mind lately."

"Really? Mind telling me what that is?" Bruno asked.

Present Picture.

"Ah. I see. Well, guess the truth doesn't stay hidden forever. Let me give y'all a proper introduction. My name is Bruno. I work for the Reinhold family and I manage the town from here in the tower." Bruno said.

"Fluttershy, what exactly does this painting show?" Layton asked looking at it. "Ah. I see. It makes sense now. You are the one who manages the life within the village." Layton said.

"Y-yes. The reason all of the people still look like the ones in the painting is because…"

TAKE THAT!

"It makes perfect sense. All of the villagers...they're robots!" Sci-Twi said.

"Yep. Every last one. Baron Reinhold had me make every last one when he learned his time to leave this world was close at hand." Bruno said. "When he created this challenge, he wanted the robots to test any outsider who walked right in with mind racking puzzles. I'm the one who programmed them into the villagers."

"A whole village with roles set for them like a story." Starlight said. "Well that doesn't sound like we'll see that anytime soon. So, you were talking about the Golden Apple?"

"Ah yes. You'll find it at the top of this tower here. Its waiting up there for ya." Bruno said.

The heroes climbed the tower and solved more puzzles, eventually reaching the top where they saw a small cottage and a girl sitting outside.

"So, you finally made it." she said. "Follow me inside." she said as they did what she asked.

Once inside the cottage, she removed her bandana and glasses, revealing herself to be the Baron's daughter, Flora Reinhold.

"Of course." Hope said. "The posters, the paintings, it all makes sense. The Golden apple wasn't a treasure, but rather…."

TAKE THAT!

"He wanted a guardian for his daughter." Lemon said.

"Yes. My name is Flora Reinhold. I've been waiting up here for sometime, waiting for someone to get me like Mr. Bruno said they would." Flora said.

"Youre the Golden Apple. All of these Robots issued the challenge because they were protecting the one key to it." Nami said before they felt the tower shake.

"What's going on?" Layton asked before they rushed outside to see Don Paolo inside a tricked out helicopter with three wrecking balls.

"Hehehehehe! Here...I...COME!" he said charging at the tower once more.

"Ready or not!" he shouted as the balls hit deep into the tower itself.

Indigo acted quickly, gathering pieces of the cottage up into a glider.

"Wow, youre quick!" Sonic said.

"Thanks. I'll take Flora and get her off the tower and lead Don Paolo away. You guys get out. This place is gonna collapse!" Indigo shouted.

The heroes did so, getting out of the tower with Hope blasting the debris. Indigo then got onto the ledge. "Ready for a ride?" she asked Flora.

She shook her head yes as they leapt off and glided through the air. The helicopter following after.

"New hero! I'll smash you right out of the sky!" he shouted firing a wrecking ball at them.

"Not a chance! Here's something else I picked up!" Indigo said pulling her arm back.

"What? You can't possibly hit me from that far." Don Paolo boasted.

"Spiked Punch!" Indigo said hitting the wrecking ball. The wrecking ball flew back, hitting a rotor, shaking the helicopter, causing a bag to fall out of it.

"No!" Don Paolo gasped. He then growled. "This isn't over yet, Layton! Same goes for you, Indigo Zap! One day, I will have my revenge on the both of you!" he shouted crashing down somewhere in the woods.

Indigo landed with the others.

"I think a certain Gourmet Hunter would be proud of you." Hope said.

Indigo just smiled as Flora hugged her. Indigo then noticed an apple like birthmark on Flora's shoulder.

"Oh my god. I know where it is!" she shouted.

The group returned to the manor and stood in front of the painting of Flora. Indigo stepped up and pressed where the birthmark would be. A rumble was heard as they saw the bookshelf nearby move back, revealing a secret path.

Taking a step inside, they were astonished to see large stacks of gold and money within the room. A tape recorder then played.

"Congratulations, Indigo Zap. I knew you might be able to do it." said an old voice.

"Papa?" Flora asked.

"He must have recorded it before he died." Luke said.

"But how does he know my name?" Indigo asked.

"You're probably asking how I know your name. Well, when I was on my deathbed, I was told by a seer that someone by that name as well as a top hatted professor will come to the village I have made to get my daughter. Well, Bruno did the actual building but you get the point." the player continued.

"Wahooo! Sweet payday!" Vector said before Blake stopped him. "Its not yours. If anything, its Flora's."

"But there is something you all should know. Before you even touch this, I should tell you that once you take even a single dollar, the village will then go into a permanent sleep, becoming motionless and dead and will have served its purpose." the baron continued.

Flora then stood there. "I am not greedy. Look at how these people protected me and live their lives. I will leave this village, but leave the wealth behind in order to see the village live on."

Hope smiled after hearing this. "If the old guy was still alive, he'd be proud of her."

The drawbridge was later lowered as the heroes headed out of the village itself.

"So, how did you girls like your first mission?" Jexi asked.

"Awesome! I got a nemesis now." Indigo said.

"Well, thats one way of looking at it. Are you eight still with us?" Hope asked.

"We cant turn back now. We're heroes now, and we're done with what we did." Lemon said.

"Well, I guess its until we meet again than." Layton said letting Flora into the car. "Oh, I must ask you to keep the village secret from the public if that's not too much trouble."

"Sure." Jexi said.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we must get back to London. We'll see you all in two months with a new case." Layton said as he drove off.

"Two months?" Jexi asked himself.

meanwhile in Flux's ship, the man himself was returned after being released on Buggy's ordered. "Thank god I'm out of that hell hole. My cellmate was...not a pleasant man." Flux said to Ian.

"Sir, sir! You gotta see what's in universal weekly!" Ian said as Flux grabbed the paper.

"A killing competiton?" Flux asked him. "Now that sounds like...Hmm. You know, this may be a good chance to bring out….it." Flux grinned.

"Subject 000? But you said that thing's extremely dangerous!" Ian said.

"Yes. But I think that thing is right up its alley. Get the cage ready as soon as possible and drop it down on this place through the air drop. We're about to get some promising results." Flux grinned.

Down below in the darkest parts of the ship, a pair of red eyes opened as the room shook

"Get ready…. for a Blood Bath." it said growling.

To be continued in Dimensional Heroes Legends: Madworld

Written by Jexi and Hope 


End file.
